Adjusting mechanism for rolling machines



1945- F. A. STUHLMAN ETAL' 2,382,517

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROLLING MACHINES I FiledDec. 1, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I H f'wer ziorar- N (26205022 zapaderer flan/i CZQJzi'zgMmazz' 0 A 1945- F. A. STUHLMAN ETAL 2,

ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROLLING MACHINES Filed Dec; 1, 1941 4 Sheets-5heet 2 v Jaw F. A. STUHLMAN EI'AL 2,382,517 ADJUSTING MECHANISM 1 0R ROLLING MACHINES Aug. 14, 1945.

Filed Dec. 1, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 4 v F. A. STUHL'I-VIAN ETAL 2,332,517

' ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROLLING MACHINES Filed Dec. 1, 1941 4 Sheets- Sheet 4 f2 z/enz iyrs'" Ga 0g?) 2, Z& Dod'erer ind flcuz Q'. Ji'ufizman.

Patented Aug. 14, 1945 UNITED STATES OFFICE 2,382,517 I I I ADJUSTING MECHANISMFOR ROLLING 'MACHINES Frank A. Stuhlman, Forest Park, and Adolph W.

Dodercr, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., a. corporation of Illinois Application December 1, 1941, Serial .No. 421,151" 1 Claim. (01. 8016)' This invention relates to an adjusting mechanism for a heavily stressed machine and particularly to adjusting mechanism for a disc rolling machine or the like.

It has been proposed to form a circular object such as a wheel body by using a starting blank of lesser diameter than the finished diameter of the wheel body and then expanding the blank by operating on it with a spinning roller which is traversed over the surface of the blank to roll'and spin the metal radially outwardly. When such a method is applied to a blank which is to be used to form a truck wheel or thelike, the pressures involved become very great, and unless suitable precautions are taken, the rolling apparatus will spring or otherwise deform in a manner which will render uniformity of the product substantially impossible of attainment.

Where such machines are not made adjustable, that is to say, the path of the spinning roller is fixed for all time, the roll head can bemade as a single integral unit and in this manner the amount of variation, produced in the thickness of the blank by the taking up of lost motion, and

must be obtained through an adjusting mechanism which will provide the variations in the angle at which the rolling is done. Such adjusting mechanism necessarily introduces additional lost motion which still further decreases the probability of obtaining an absolutely uniform product.

The principal object of this invention therefore is to provide an adjusting mechanism for heavy machinery such as disc rolling equipment and the like, wherein the path of the roll may be accurately predetermined to produce a uniform product.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjusting mechanism for heavy machinery such as disc rolling apparatus or the like, -wherein the operative position of the machine is determined by reference to a stationary part of the machine, said stationary part being in turn fixedly related to the blank operated upon.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following description when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation ofthe novel adjusting mechanism as applied to a machine of the character described;

Fig. 2 is a plan view in section of a machine showing the application-of this invention thereto; Fig. 3 is a section through the mach-inc and adjusting mechanism taken along line 3-3-01 Fig.1;

12. Said connecting rod 12 is in turn connected to a cross-head Hi to which is secureda'rol-l-hea'd l4. Said roll head [4 in turn supports'a pair of -roll frames l5 and 16 on which are mounted roll carriages l1 and 18, respectively, each of which supports a spinning roll 19 and '20, respectively. Cooperating with rolls I9 and 20 is a platen 2! which is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis and is fixed against lateral movement and down ward movement relative to'frame' 1 0. "Suitable means (shown in detail in a copending application of A. Doderer, Serial No. 419,280, filed November 15, 1941, now Patent No. 2,368,008; dated January 23, 1945) are provided 'for rotating crank I! through substantially 90 to raise and :lower roll head [4 with respect to platen I2. .Simi% larly, suitable means are provided for traversing rolls l9 and 20 and their respective carriages I! and I8 across the surface of platenZl. To assist in counter-balancing the dead weight of roll head M, a pair of air cylinders 22 and 23 are provided, each one being connected to its respective roll frame It and I5. A blank to be rolled is placed upon platen 2| and the platen is rotated by suitable means (not shown) while rolls I9 and 20 tive to platen 2| in exactly the same place each time a blank is to be rolled. The locking means is described in detail in the above mentioned copending application of A. Doderer. Briefly, the.

Fig. 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of said locking means comprises a pair of stop blocks 24 and 25 fixed to frame I which contact abutments 26 and 21, respectively, in roll frames I and IS. The blocks are spaced apart a suflicient distance so that rolls I9 and 20 always operate between them. The length of connecting rod I2 is so chosen that at the bottom of the stroke of crank II abutments 26 and 21 will be firmly pressed against stop blocks 24 and 25. In order to obtain an initial adjustment, connecting rod I2 is provided with a turn-buckle 28 which of course is necessarily large in order to withstand the forces imposed upon it and hence cannot be very accurately adjusted." A finer adjustment, therefore, must be provided and it is to this f end that the present invention is directed.

The finer adjustment is disclosed in detail in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive. It will be observed that each roll frame is provided with a pair of spaced gussets 29 and 30, each gusset being provided with aligned bosses 3| and 32, respectively. Said bosses are apertured to receive a shaft 33 which extends outward from each side of the roll frame beyond bosses 3| and 32. At each end of shaft 33 is an eccentric 34 which is keyed to the shaft and is provided with a hardened ring 35 non-rotatably secured thereto. Said eccentrics are aligned with stop blocks 25 in frame Ill so that when the roll frame is lowered, the eccentrics 34 contact their respective stop blocks.

0n the inside of gussets 29 and 3B and immediately adjacent bosses 3I and 32 are two worm wheels 36 and 31 which are secured to rotate with shaft 33. Said worm Wheels cooperate with worm-s 38 and 39, respectively, journalled in spaced lugs 40 and M respectively extending inwardly from gussets 29 and, 30. Said worms are controlled by means of a shaft 42 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) which may be rotated by means of a suitable key (not shown) The air cylinders 22 and 23 are connected by means of rods 43 and 44 to T-shaped connections 45which are mounted on each shaft 33.

Roll frames I6 and I5 are pivotally mounted on rods 48 and 41 secured to cross-head I3. It is contemplated that in the machine selected for illustrating this invention the roll frames will be adjustable angularly with respect to platen 2I. This angular adjustment is provided at each frame by means of wedge blocks 48 and 49 which are slidably retained between the side 59 of the cross-head I3, and a cross member 5| on each of the roll frames I5 and I6. The blocks are swiveled on either side of a rod 52 having a central opening 53 therein which is threaded to receive a threaded rod 54. Said rod 54 is controlled by means of a suitable key (not shown) which may be engaged with squared end 55 of rod 54. j Said rod passes through spaced aperturecl lugs 55 and 51 and is held against upward movement relative to lugs 51 by means of a lock-nut 58. Obviously, the position of the blocks relative to slide I3 and each of the roll frames I 5 and I6 is dependent upon the distance between cross rod 52 and lock-nut 58.

Once the proper adjustment is obtained, each of the roll frames I5 and I6 may be locked against rotation about rod 41 by means of a tension rod 59 secured to cross-head I3 and passing through cross member 5|. A pair of lock-nuts 60 holds each of the roll frames I5 and I6 in place relative to rod 59.

It is apparent that due to the relatively large number of pin connections between crank II and rolls I9 and 20, a considerable amount of lost motion is apt to be present, and that a single adjustment in' connecting rod I2 would not be sufiicient. A finer adjustment, therefore, is provided by means of eccentric 34 so that after connecting rod I 2 has been adjusted to approximately the proper length, a final adjustment may be made to take up any residual lost motion that may exist.

The operation of the finer adjustments is very simple and requires merely that worms 38, 39 be rotated until they are equally stressed. Since a worm is inherently an irreversible drive, no lock for the worm is necessary. However, such a lock can be readily provided by means of a set screw such as is shown at BI in one of the lugs supporting the worm. In addition to providing a final adjustment for turn-buckle 28, the eccentries likewise provide a micrometer adjustment to take care of finer angular adjustments which it would be otherwise impossible to make at wedge blocks 48 and 49. Thus a slight change in the angularity of the rolls relative to the platen may be made without readl'usting the length of the connecting rod or resetting blocks 48 and 49, the difference in the distance between stop blocks 24, 25 and crank I I being taken up at the eccentrics,

It is understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention and that the scope of the invention is not to be limited thereto but is to be determined by the appended claim.

We claim: I I

A'rolling machine comprising a support for a blank to be rolled, roll means for operating on the blank, said means comprising a roll and asupport therefor, said roll being shiftable over the surface of the blank and productive of shifting loads in the machine, an upper reaction pointfor the roll means located centrally of the blank support, other reactionmeanslocated on either side of the roll, and means for stressing the roll means to produce a reaction in the upper reaction point which is substantially opposite in direction to the reaction produced in the other reaction means in order to lock the roll means against undesired shifts in position relative to the blank which might result from the shifting loads, the stressing means comprising means on the roll support for changing the effective length of the roll support to approximately thatrequired, and other means for obtaining the exact length required.

FRANK A. STUHLMAN.

ADOLPH W. DODERER. 

